Season Outlook
After being voted eighth in the 2008-09 preseason coaches’ poll, the Haverford College men’s basketball team played their way into a fifth-place Centennial Conference finish and quarterfinal league playoff game where they fell a three-point field goal short of making a semifinal appearance.
Helping the team exceed expectations was a group of six seniors that have left big shoes to fill for the 2009-10 squad that has been voted…eighth, again, in the preseason.
Head coach Mike Mucci feels the incoming roster is full of promise with returning veterans and a few newcomers, but the looming question is: who is going to step up and fill the void left by a senior class that accounted for 59 percent of the scoring and 51 percent of the rebounding?
The returning answer
In junior co-captain Sam Permutt, the Fords bring back their leading scorer (10.0 points per game) and rebounder (151). The other returning starter, senior co-captain Matt Palmer, was second on the team from behind the three-point line (23 made 3FG) and assists (52) giving Mucci a starting point to begin the quest towards another playoff berth.
Sophomores Ian Goldberg and Bo Fridell combined for only four starts between them but both saw quality time in the mix last year which should provide needed experience to what has become a youthful squad after last season’s senior-dominant look. In addition, senior big-man Doug Edelman earned valuable minutes down low, often in a rotation with Permutt and Fridell, which bolsters the strength of the returning group of Fords in 2009.
The newcomers answer
The Fords added three freshmen to the roster with Cam Baker standing out as one that might make an immediate impact on the court. An honorable mention all-stater from Columbus, Ohio, his ability to create opportunities on his own is what Mucci hints at that could put the young guard in the rotation with the team’s veterans.
Can the “D” be even better?
Last season the Fords allowed just 59.5 points per game, a stinginess that ranked sixth-best in the nation. Mucci’s team will look to continue their defensive prowess but will work to find a better balance towards the scoring end of court with, perhaps, Baker and Fridell stepping into larger offensive roles.
The road more travelled
Though Haverford plays 14 of its 24 games away from Gooding Arena this season, that schedule – which includes eight road contests out of the first 12 games – could work in the Fords’ favor. The first two conference match-ups in the early stretch are both at home, and the early road schedule should help prepare the team for late-season Centennial games on opponents’ home courts.
About that preseason poll
In the 2006-07 campaign, the Fords were picked eighth in the preseason and finished third, ultimately making it into the conference tournament final. Last season the eighth place early ranking ended with a fifth place finish and league playoff appearance. Maybe ‘eighth’ is the charm for the Fords. And in the topsy-turvy world of the Centennial, anything is possible. The preseason favorite heading into last season, Ursinus College, was coming off a conference title, but failed to even make the league postseason. And throughout most of the year, Franklin & Marshall College led the way in the standings throughout the season but Gettysburg College came away with the tournament crown. So Haverford could make some noise in the conference race again, but nearly all of the players on the roster will need to – quickly – find their roles on the team and not only that, will need to be successful in those roles for the Fords to be more than just a noise-maker.